1950s Malaya beautifully evoked

• Book: The Separation
• Location: Malaysia (Malaya)
• Author: Dinah Jefferies

Review Author: tripfiction

The Separation has an arresting opening chapter from which the rest of the book flows. This is the story of one little family, Alec and Lydia Cartwright, and their young daughters Emma and Fleur, who have been living in Malacca, Malaya. This is Malaya when Independence was coming, the Emergency was in force and unrest was ubiquitous. The Rebels were making a stand and the British were feeling the heat.

There are glimmerings of a dark backstory that prompt Alec to uproot the girls and take them to England, whilst his wife is away upcountry tending a sick friend. The mystery surrounding his departure goes on to percolate and intrigue throughout the whole book. Lydia returns from her ministrations to find the Malacca house deserted, and is at a loss to know where her family has gone. She consults George Parrot, a patriarch in the British community, who informs her that her family has gone up to a posting in Ipoh, 350km away towards Georgetown. She is determined to follow them, assuming that they have had to leave in some hurry, and arrangements for her to follow on have been overlooked. At the point of departure a young boy, Maz is foisted on her for safekeeping by one of the women working at the house – he appears to be part Malay, part Chinese and his biological mother is said to be in trouble and cannot look after him for now. The two of them set off for Ipoh and into dangerous territory, as they encounter all kinds of obstacles on their journey north. But as their perilous journey continues, there is much loss and sadness on the way, a reflection of personal events in the author’s own life.

The richness and vibrancy of the people and the country are beautifully brought to life by the author, as the two make their difficult way through kampongs, jungle and rubber plantations. It’s hot, it’s humid and the smells and the noisy animals and insects all filter into the reader’s consciousness. As the book come to its conclusion, the tendrils weave together to bring the story lines together in an emotional conclusion.

On our blog we have reviewed this novel together with Ghostwritten, set in 1940s Java – read more here

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